Vehicles having so-called standard hydraulic loader have been extremely successful in the few decades since their introduction. Typically, a load carrying body such as a hopper or a flat bed is temporarily carried on the bed of a vehicle by which the load carrying body is moved from one site to another. Perhaps one of the more common uses is of a hopper or a refuse bin which may be delivered to a site for refuse collection, unloaded at the site and permitted to remain until full, and thereafter picked up and loaded and carried to a refuse disposal operation.
One difficulty presented in the use of such vehicles is where the point at which the load carrying body is to be unloaded is higher than the bed of the vehicle by which the load carrying body is transported. In such a case, it is impossible to unload the load carrying body and this can provide a real limitation on usage where, for example, the load carrying body is to be loaded upon or unloaded from, for example, an elevated loading dock.
To overcome this problem, where the vehicle is provided with outriggers, it has been the procedure to move the vehicle into position adjacent a loading dock or the like and lower the outriggers into engagement with the underlying terrain. The outriggers are then further extended to elevate the bed the vehicle to a location at or above the level of the loading dock to load or unload the load carrying body therefrom.
While this approach is operative for its intended purpose, it is unnecessarily complex to perform and further, necessitates that the vehicle be provided with outriggers, something that is frequently unnecessary.
The present invention is directed to overcoming one or more of the above problems.